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By Ashley LauReuters • Monday August 5, 2013 7:29 AM

NEW YORK — Millions of Time Warner Cable subscribers in New York, Los Angeles and Dallas could
be without CBS programming for several weeks as the two companies appear no closer to settling a
fee dispute, analysts said.

The blackout that began on Friday, when Time Warner dropped the No. 1-rated U.S. broadcast
network, has affected an estimated 3.5 million customers, including golf fans who missed Tiger
Woods’ victory yesterday in the Bridgestone Invitational.

CBS, home to hits such as
The Big Bang Theory and
NCIS, said there were no talks taking place. Time Warner said it regretted the
inconvenience to viewers and hoped to resolve the situation “as soon as possible.”

Industry analysts said the dispute over how much Time Warner should pay to carry CBS could last
until the start of the National Football League regular season in September, when millions of
viewers rely on their cable providers to watch primetime games.

“Until the NFL games are on CBS, I can see this dragging on,” said Chicago-based Morningstar
analyst Michael Corty.

The fall is also when many new shows kick off.“

The longer (CBS) waits, the more they don’t get a chance to promote their fall lineup in the two
biggest cities in the country,” BTIG media analyst Rich Greenfield said.

CBS begins its fall lineup with the Sept. 18 premiere of
Survivor. Other CBS primetime shows start their seasons beginning on Sept. 23.

Satellite provider DirecTV on Saturday sided with Time Warner in a rare show of solidarity
between rivals. DirecTV applauded Time Warner for “fighting back against exorbitant programming
cost increases,” noting that the firm itself has “certainly had its share of these battles.”

CBS fought back on Friday by suspending videos of full episodes on CBS.com for customers with
Internet access provided by Time Warner Cable in affected markets.